This is a less common wedding dress style, and youe

Il admit it: Even though there are, at last count, 4,386 reality shows that share the premise that fashion is the most important thing in the whole universe, I hadn really been paying attention.

So when I started shopping for my wedding dress, I had some catching up to do. My saleswoman started throwing new and faintly terrifying terms at me. I thought about just trying to fake it, but I became increasingly sure that if I said the wrong thing a trap door would open up under my feet and send me tumbling down a long, greasy Chute of Shame. At the bottom would be Anna Wintour, and Tyra Banks, waiting to confiscate my Girl Card.

I dove in with hand gestures instead: want it to sort of?go up here?And then maybe like this??The saleswoman cocked her head at me like the RCA dog and took a moment to consider pressing the silent alarm, then suggested I look through the racks a bit.

To save you from that particular slice of pre-wedding embarrassment, here a quick rundown of basic wedding dress silhouettes.

A-line

Youe probably worn an A-line dress at some point. (If you haven, give one a try! Theye flattering on just about any figure.) Some flare out gently from the shoulder, creating kind of an overall letter A shape, and other versions flare out from the waist with a more fitted bodice. Either way, youl look terrific.

Ball gown

Youe seen these on strapless wedding dresses most animated princesses. A ball gown has a closely fitted bodice, then poofs out into a very full, bell-shaped skirt that is usually floor-length. The waistline may dip down into a V, and may sit higher or lower on the hips, depending on your preference.

Ballerina

This is a less common wedding dress style, and youe probably already guessed how it looks. Like the ball gown, a ballerina dress has a fitted bodice and a skirt that poofs out from the waistline, but in this case there more of a tutu effect, with the skirt hitting about mid-calf. Youl be working with very light, floaty fabrics in lots and lots of layers, and there may be some petticoat action.

Bustle back

When seen from the side, this dress has an S-shaped silhouette that was popular from the 1890s through the 1910s or so, when folks liked to (demurely) emphasize the fact that Baby had back. Youl see either a big bow-style decoration or maybe even an extra bunch of fabric in back. Some women automatically freak at the idea of emphasizing the badonk, but I think bustles are classic and fun.

Empire

This confusingly named waistline actually starts just below the bust, and then the dress drops straight down, or close to it. Youe seen these in Jane Austen adaptations like Emma and Sense and Sensibility. Ie read alleged experts who say that empire dresses look best on slender women and others who say they look best on full-figured women. Me, I think they give all women a little-girl look, which may or may not be your bag. So forget the experts and just go by whether or not you like them.

Mermaid

A mermaid dress will give you a shapely silhouette without being inappropriately sexy for a wedding dress. The dress hugs your curves from your bust to your hips, then flares out at the knee to create a fishtail effect. (That looks way better than it sounds.) Mermaid dresses can be strikingly beautiful, but because they are fitted so closely, they may not be good for ceremonies in which you have to kneel. You may even have some trouble sitting down if your dress is very form-fitting, so consider changing into another outfit for your reception.

Princess

In this case, youe going for a grown-up princess instead of a Grimm. Think Grace Kelly. This dress is less close-fitting than a mermaid or sheath, but still follows your natural curves. The bodice has vertical panels of fabric and then the skirt flares out gently. This is an elegant style that brings out the inner stone-cold fox in most women.

Sheath

Like mermaid dresses, sheath dresses are very form-fitting. In this case, though, your guests get to see your feet as well as your curves. A sheath dress will be clingy from shoulder (or bust, if youe going strapless) to hem, with no flaring out. It looks like an evening gown ?one that really hugs your body, so make sure youe feeling bold. And, as with the mermaid, make sure youe not feeling like sitting down or kneeling.

Slip

This is an elegant style that is usually kept very simple. It a slinky fall of satin (or satiny material) that clings to your body. Slip dresses are often cut on a bias, with shoestring shoulder straps. montage mon cheri gowns

A final word on fashion xperts?br /> Ie seen a lot of expert commentary on how women should dress to look their best lately, and Il just say this: Many of these people are well-intentioned men and women who love, love, love women and their bodies.

But many of them aren.

Some love clothes but don like women, and some only like very tall skinny women, and some sincerely mean to love women but are carrying around great big laundry baskets full of issues, and some of them like to lash out at anyone who might be an easy target because they secretly don like themselves and being snarky reassures them that theye superior to somebody.

Some of them are people who just need to fill that magazine issue and sell some ads and are terrified of doing anything different from the last 117 issues lest someone else get mad or make fun of them. And some people just can stand it when not everyone conforms to their idea of what looks good.

My point is that you may want to take expert advice with a grain of salt, and maybe the whole shaker. Some fashion experts can be positive and wonderful, and some can really mess with your head, whether they mean to or not. By all means, read or watch them, but if youe starting to feel worse about yourself as you do, pull out. The most useful fashion experts are the ones who start with the premise that youe a babe and then work to help you become the most fabulous version of yourself.

And, in the end, your instincts trump them too. If a dress breaks all the rules but makes you feel absofreakinglutely amazing, that The mon cheri mother of the bride dress One.

Good luck, Gorgeous. Happy shopping!

Dreaming About The Perfect Wedding Dress

Many brides begin dreaming about the perfect wedding dress long before they are even engaged. Choosing the right one is critical because it is the one day that all eyes will be on you. A dress that is beautiful without being too ostentatious and is also flattering to your figure will ensure that you are looking your best on your wedding day. With so many style, color and fabric options available, choosing can be a difficult task but fortunately most brides simply know when they have found the perfect wedding dress. From the moment they put on the dress, their gut instinct tells them that this is the one for them.

The most important piece of advice for shopping for the wedding dress is to begin shopping for it at least six months before your wedding date. Finding the one can take quite a bit of time and once you find the dress, it may take up to four months for the dress to be ordered and shipped to the store. Then once the it arrives in the store you may require several fittings to ensure that the dress fits you perfectly. You will want to take your time and enjoy shopping for it so it is important to begin the process early so that you avoid feeling rushed and overwhelmed.

Another worthwhile piece of advice for finding the dress is to try on many different styles of dresses. Even though you may be convinced that you want a particular style you may find that the style that looks so appealing in magazines does not suit your body type. You may also find that a style that you would have never chosen can be flattering to your figure. For this reason it is important to try on a wide variety of styles before ruling out any particular style. The old saying, "you won't know unless you try it," holds true. There have been countless brides who have found that their perfect wedding dress turned out to be significantly different from the one that they had pictured in their mind.

Although it may sound counterintuitive, the color of the wedding dress is an important consideration in choosing the perfect one. Many people think that the only acceptable color for it is a pure white but if you are open to other options, you may find yourself in a wedding dress that is far more flattering to your skin tone than a pure white dress. Wedding dresses come in a multitude of colors including ivory, cream and even subtle beiges. If you are willing to consider these options it is important to try on dresses in these colors to see how they work with your complexion.

Choosing the wedding dress sometimes requires reinforcements. Having a few trusted friends or family members come dress shopping with you can help you find the dress of your dreams. They can offer opinions on each one that you try on and can also scour the countless racks of dresses available and choose dresses for you to try on. Many brides instantly know that they have chosen the right wedding dress the moment they put it on but having trusted friends and family members along can confirm this feeling. The moment you step out of the dressing room and reveal the dress you are wearing you may see instant confirmation that this is the perfect dress. The reactions of your assistants will indicate that you have found the perfect dress.

When you have found the best wedding dress, you will know it so now is also the time to buy the dress. Nothing is more important than your gut feeling and the reactions of your shopping partners so if you know you have the perfect one in your hands, don't risk losing the dress by opting to think about it for a few days before you make your purchase. There is always the chance that the last available dress will be sold or that the company will discontinue the dress so do not allow yourself to miss out on buying the perfect dress by not buying it the moment you realize it is the one for you.

The wedding dress is a critical element in a wedding. It is what makes a bride truly stand out and it is important for the bride to ensure that she has chosen the perfect wedding dress. The minute a future bride steps into a it she will know instantly whether or not it is the perfect dress. It's important to trust this gut reaction and act accordingly in choosing the perfect wedding dress.